Adventures in Mistgate
by Altruistic Penguin
Summary: Just a bunch of short stories featuring my town in "Animal Crossing: New Leaf" and my villagers. Each is set on different days. Some are events (e.g. tournaments), and others are just 'regular' days when no events are occurring and/or no NPCs (e.g. Redd) are visiting. The cover image is a drawing I did of Stitches. You can find it and these stories on my DA: SymphonicNevermore.
1. Chapter 1 - A Mysterious Letter

**Standard disclaimer: I do not own "Animal Crossing: New Leaf (Welcome Amiibo)", any of the characters, sayings, or anything. The only thing I have, if you will, is the name of my mayor and the town's name. This fan fiction is strictly for entertainment purposes only.**

 **Additional author's notes and comments will be below.**

It was the start of a new morning in Mistgate. Inside a yellow tent, a young woman had just woken up. After grabbing her glasses from the top of her suitcase, she sat back down on the blue sleeping bag, and thought about the previous day's events. She had just moved from her old home in the city to a smaller town called Mistgate, the first time she'd be living on her own. When she'd arrived, she learned that not only was she the newest resident, she was also the new mayor. At first, Ariel had thought that it was some sort of joke – an April Fool's type of thing. Perhaps her parents had something to do with it, though she couldn't think of a valid reason why. Later, after speaking with Isabelle in the Town Hall, Ariel had learned that, at least to the residents of the town, it was not a joke, and that someone really had told them that she was their new mayor. She had then been sent to Main Street, to a business known as Nook's Homes, and to the raccoon who owned and ran it named Tom Nook, as she would need a place to live, and there weren't any vacant houses.

That was how she came to be in this tent. Tom Nook had asked her to choose where she would like the house to be built, and she eventually chose this spot after walking throughout most of the town. It was situated just south of the river; near two other houses and close to the cobblestone bridge. He had placed a roped fence around the area, and stuck a sign in the ground that read _'This spot reserved for Ariel's new home.'_. Realizing that in the meantime, she would need some way of staying out of the elements, he had given her this tent. Isabelle had brought over an old, but still working, red lantern so she could have some light when the sun went down. The next day, she had spoken with Tom Nook again, and learned that the down payment for her home would be ten thousand bells.

"Pocket change, really." He had said, as if most people had that kind of money just laying around. Fortunately for her, Ariel's parents had put aside some bells every year since she was born, so that once she was an adult, she would be able to get a place of her own. Since she was now a mayor, that solved the problem of finding employment. Tom Nook had been most pleased when she paid the whole ten thousand bells in one go, on her first day at that, and said that construction would start right away, to be completed the next day. She had then packed up the tent and, with Isabelle's help, moved over to the town's campsite for the night.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps just outside of the tent, followed by the sound of mail being deposited into the mailbox. She went outside to see who it was. Standing there was a white pelican with oval-shaped black eyes, wearing a green postman's uniform and a navy-blue bag.

"Ah, hello there, mayor!" the pelican greeted.

"Hello."

"I'm Pete. It's my job to deliver the mail to the residents of Mistgate." He said. "Normally, I don't make the first round until nine, but since you're new, I thought I'd come by a bit earlier and explain how the mail system works here."

"All right."

"Well, it's not too different from the city, really. When you have mail, as you do now, you'll see that flag standing up and blinking." Pete pointed to said flag. Ariel nodded to show that she was listening.

"While there isn't too much of a rush on when you get your mail; it is up to you, after all, please be aware that once the mailbox is full, I won't be able to cram any more into it, so please clear your mailbox periodically."

"Okay."

"Do you have any questions for me, mayor?"

"If the mailbox is full, what happens to the mail that can't be delivered? Does it get marked as 'Unable to Deliver' and returned to the sender like they do in the city?"

"No. Since this is a smaller town, we're able to keep undelivered mail at our post office without having to worry about overcrowding. In the event that your mailbox is full at the time of my delivery, I'll place a note on the outside to let you know. I won't disturb you if you're sleeping or busy."

"Okay. Thank you, Pete."

"Not a problem, mayor. Do you have any other questions?"

"No. Not right now, anyway."

"All righty then. If you do have any questions, feel free to come to the post office at any time. It's open 24/7. You may not see me there, but you'll definitely see either Pelly or Phyllis. Pelly is a white Pelican like me, and she's there during the day. Phyllis, Pelly's sister, is a purple pelican, and she's there during the night. Well, I'll be on my way now. Have a good day, mayor."

"I will. Thank you."

She watched Pete walk back across the bridge before going to the mailbox and opening it to see what her first mail in Mistgate was. There were two letters – one larger than the other. Ariel grabbed that one first and saw that it was from her mother. It read:

 _'Dear Ariel,_

 _I can't help but be a bit nervous about your first solo journey._

 _I'm sending you something to help you along._

 _I'll try not to worry.  
\- Mom'_

Still in the envelope was a present box, wrapped in blue paper. Pulling it out, Ariel carefully opened it to find an item leaf. Going back inside the tent, she tossed the leaf up, and with a puff of air, it turned into a red two-seater sofa.

 _'Thanks, mom. That's one less thing to buy.'_ Ariel thought to herself as she picked up the sleeping bag, her suitcase, and the lantern, and put them into her pockets. She then turned and pushed the sofa to the right side of the tent before taking the sleeping bag back out and draping it on the sofa like a blanket. _'Not to mention, it'll be more comfortable sleeping on this than on the floor of the tent.'_

Once she was satisfied with the sofa's position, Ariel took the lantern out of her pocket and placed it on the left side of the tent; leaving some space between it and the tent itself. She then took her suitcase back out and put it at the bottom of the tent, near the entrance, and went to get the other envelope from the mailbox. She opened it to find a strange letter. It read:

 _'To Ariel,_

 _Congrats on your newfound mayorhood! To be honest, I was supposed_

 _to be the mayor, but one thing led to another…and now it's all up to you!_

 _I'm rooting for you!_

 _\- Keep it a secret!'_

Ariel frowned. What in the world was going on? At least she now had confirmation of what she'd suspected ever since arriving in Mistgate; that she wasn't supposed to be the mayor. At least, not at first. But then, who sent the letter? And why would they want it to be a secret? Realizing that she hadn't read the envelope before opening it, Ariel picked it up again, only to find that it was labeled 'From Unknown Sender'. There were no other markings on it, either, no writing, no stamps…nothing.

 _'What now?'_ Ariel thought as she sat on the sofa.

'… _Maybe I should talk to Isabelle and show her this letter? Tell her that I wasn't joking when I said that I'm the wrong person, and that I'm not the mayor? Oh, wait. I can't. I mean, I could show her, but…how do I prove that this wasn't written by me? It was typed, so it's impossible to do any handwriting comparisons, and since there aren't any stamps or writing on it, other than the 'unknown sender' label, I have no real way to prove that I didn't make this up to try and "back out of the job" or something.'_

She sat there for a while, trying to figure out what to do. No matter what she came up with, she kept coming back to the fact that she couldn't prove that the letter wasn't written – typed – by her or someone she knew.

 _'Well…the villagers don't seem to be suspicious. In fact, they all seemed happy to have me in their town and as their new mayor.'_

 ***flashback to the previous day***

 _After getting off the train, and being stunned by the strange yellow dog's statement that she was the new mayor, Ariel decided to talk to the villagers and see what they had to say before going to the town hall. Surely, they'd correct the dog and tell her that she wasn't the mayor and that whoever it is hasn't arrived yet? Seeing a tall, gray and white eagle wearing a brown and white diamond-patterned shirt standing near a bulletin board, Ariel decided to start with him or her._

 _"Hello. My name is Ariel." She had said, politely._

 _"So, you're our new mayor, eh? It's nice to meet you, skree-haw. I'm Avery." The eagle replied._

 _"Um…well…"_

 _"Oh, there's no need to be shy, skree-haw. You'll do fine. I don't want to keep you, so you'd best hurry to the town hall."_

 _"…Right."_

Looking around, Ariel saw a small purple mouse, and went to them next.

 _"Hi, I'm Ariel, and –"_

 _"Nice to meet'cha, Mayor Ariel! My name's Rod!" The mouse interrupted. "Let's train together sometime, ace!"_

 _"Well…okay…"_

 _"Great! I'll see you around then, ace."_

 _The other villagers reacted similarly. None questioned who she was, or why she was mayor, which confused her to no end. Giving up on trying to convince them otherwise for the time being, Ariel had decided to go to the town hall with the yellow dog, whose name she still didn't know, but felt too awkward to ask. When they arrived, the dog had moved to stand in front of a long, average height desk, and faced her._

 _"Mayor, this town hall will be your base of operations." She said. She then introduced herself as Isabelle, and said that she was Ariel's secretary. Ariel had been relieved to hear Isabelle's promise to help her when and where she could, as she had no idea_ how _to be a mayor, and didn't want to cause any disasters. Isabelle had then gotten her started on her new job as mayor; getting her name down on the registration papers (though she already knew it), and then realizing that Ariel didn't have an address yet, and thus sent her to Tom Nook's business; Nook's Homes over on Main Street._

 _After getting situated in the tent, and later re-situated at the campsite, Ariel had gone around to the villagers in order to talk to them again, and started getting to know them better so her approval rating would go up. They all seemed friendly, although Blanche had come across a bit standoffish, Avery came across as a bit of a grouch, and Rod was blunt and had a bit of a habit of interrupting when he was excited. So far, she was getting along best with Merengue and Clyde, the two calmest villagers. One thing they all had in common, apart from not questioning her about her new job, was that they all felt that calling her "mayor" all the time felt too stiff and too formal, so they would prefer to call her Ariel more. She had agreed, as she wasn't comfortable taking a title that she was certain wasn't hers, even if it was being handed to her._

 ** _*End Flashback*_**

She sat there for a while longer, thinking. Eventually, she reached a decision. Standing up, placed the letter into the letter space of her pockets and headed out of the tent once more.

Mistgate needed its new mayor, after all.

 **Author's Notes: So...yeah. Nothing really special, to be honest. I apologize about any spacing issues with paragraphs. I'm still not completely used to this site. If you spot anything off with the formatting, feel free to let me know, and I'll fix it.**

 **Now, as for this story: I decided to start with "day two", rather than the day of arrival. Other than the two letters here, most of the ones in future stories will not be quoted word-for-word. Also, most of what the other residents will say will also not be word-for-word, but rather the gist/general idea of what is said, as I don't want to just be quoting the game all of the time (that would likely be copyright infringement anyway).**

 **The city that I mention periodically in this (and some of the other) stories is a reference to the game "City Folk". I haven't decided on a name for it yet, so for now, it'll just be called 'the city'. I know that your parents in the game do not actually send you any money, and the items as a leaf thing that you see in your pockets (inventory) is just something I decided to keep.**

 **In the actual game, you plant the Town Tree on the day you arrive,** **but for these stories, I've made it where you do so on the second day instead. And yes, I know that you never stay in the campsite (you build it sometime later, after getting the permit to do so), but I made it so you (and other new villagers) stay there until construction/expansions are completed. As for animals just visiting, they'll stay in the campsite too (just imagine that there's room for more than one tent).**

 **I've tried to find ways to make the interactions seem more plausible. As the game itself is very polite, you generally get along with all of the residents over time, which can make the whole thing come across as a bunch of "Mary Sues" when used as a written story. I'll be going over the personality types and traits and try to write for them. I may even see if I can find the movie "Dōbutso no Mori" to watch.**

 **For those who don't know: in Animal Crossing, each of the villagers (except the mayor and the NPCs) have a phrase that they say at the end of (some of) their sentences. You can change them later, but they start off as the following (for my original villagers):**

 **Avery: Skree-haw  
** **Blanche: quite so  
** **Clyde: clip-clawp  
** **Merengue: shortcake  
** **Rod: ace**

 **As always, constructive criticism is welcome. Feel free to point out any spelling and grammatical errors. I do check (both by re-reading and using Spell Check), but things can be overlooked.** **  
**


	2. Chapter 2 - The Town Tree Ceremony

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything in "Animal Crossing: New Leaf – Welcome Amiibo." The game is the property of Nintendo. The only things I "have", technically, are the names of my town and mayor. Well, at least the mayor's name.**

After deciding not to worry about the letter or its meaning, Ariel placed it into the letter space of her pockets and headed out of the tent once again. This time, she headed for a place Isabelle had told her was called the Event Plaza. It was close to both the RV Campground and Re-Tail. As she got closer, she saw that the plaza was a large clearing that had been re-purposed. It had light gray cobblestones all over, and had an air of formality about it, but before she could take it in properly, she noticed that everyone was there. Literally. All of the villagers, the shopkeepers, Digby, Pete, Phyllis, and Blathers; spread in a circle as close to the tree as they could get while leaving a bit of space. Some were chatting away pleasantly, Timmy and Tommy were craning their necks and standing on the tips of their paws to try and get a better view, and others were simply standing there.

Isabelle was standing in the center of the plaza, next to a square-shaped brown-orange planter filled with soil that had a hole dug into the center. A tree sapling was on the ground next to her. She smiled at Ariel once she had arrived.

"Hello, mayor!" She said cheerfully.

"Hi." Ariel replied.

"Are you ready for this?"

"I guess…what is it exactly?"

"Don't worry, I'll explain in just a moment. For now, please stand in the soil next to the hole. Be careful not to trip."

"Okay." Ariel said. She then did as she was asked.

Isabelle explained that this was a welcoming ceremony, and the mark of a new start; for her, and for all of Mistgate. There was rigorous applause. Isabelle waited until it died down before continuing.

"And now, mayor Ariel, please take this sapling, and plant it in the hole. Put your heart into it!" She handed the sapling over.

Ariel took the sampling, knelt down and placed it into the hole. It was a perfect fit. She then scooped the surrounding soil into the hole, patting it down firmly once it was filled. When she was done, she stood up, smiling at the crowd.

"Let it be known that on this date, July 16th, 2017, Ariel became the mayor of Mistgate. Let's all look forward to her plans for enlivening the town! May Mistgate grow and flourish from this day on!" Isabelle said with all formality.

Everyone cheered and applauded once again, causing Ariel to feel bashful, but she wasn't complaining.

 **Author's Notes: Yep. This one's short. There isn't much to the scene itself, and I don't think I could've really fleshed it out to the length of the first story. Oh well.**

 **The events in this story take place later in the same day as the events in the first one, so yes, this is a sequel.**

 **In the game, the only people in attendance are the villagers/other residents, Isabelle, and you, but I thought that it would be somewhat interesting, and a bit more…realistic I guess…if the other NPCs were there as well. After all, even though you don't see their houses in the game, it stands to reason that they would live in the town too, or at least some of them would. The others probably live in the city (for example), but that'd depend on things like how far away the city is, how long it takes to get from it to the town and back, and how often/late the trains run. Then again, they all have shops to run (the museum in Blathers' case), and I've never heard of any town where all the stores close just to welcome/announce the new mayor, so I probably should've left it out. Annnd I'm gonna stop there, else I'll end up** _ **way**_ **overthinking a video game (though I already have).**

 **Yes, Isabelle doesn't say that last line of hers – all she says is a brief snippet of a welcome, then tells the player to plant the tree. Afterwards, a message comes up saying "On (date you started playing), (player's name) became the mayor of (town name). The "let's all look forward to (his/her) plans for enlivening the town" line is from the billboard message that shows up not long after you start. I had Isabelle say it instead.**

 **Constructive criticism is welcome.**


	3. Chapter 3 - Booker and Copper

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'Animal Crossing: New Leaf – Welcome Amiibo'. This is fanfiction only.**

 **I was originally going to have this as the fourth story, but I ended up writing this one first, so the "Bug-Off" one will come next.**

It had been two weeks since she moved in, and finally felt that she was really getting the hang of being a mayor. At the very least, she had settled into a routine when the day started. After showering and getting dressed, she would check her mail and read through it over breakfast. On her way out the door, she would place the letters needing a reply on her desk, and put a post-it note as a reminder on the door of her fridge. Then she would head for the Town Hall and go over the day's paperwork with Isabelle, as well as go over the list of requested Public Works Projects. Though only one could be worked on at a time, she felt that it was best to frequently check the list for any new requests or problems with existing projects. The projects themselves were a mix of things; some were functional, some were aesthetic, and some were just odd, such as the sphinx. Why in the world anyone would want a sphinx in a place like Mistgate was beyond her.

"Different people like different things." Isabelle had said, shrugging. "Although I was a bit surprised to see it on the list too. As far as I know, none of the current residents would be the type to ask for such a thing."

"Well, either way, I don't think Mistgate really needs one."

"Agreed."

On this particular day, Ariel had chosen to start work on the police station. There were two on the list; modern and classic. Isabelle, noticing her confusion, explained that it was referring to the style of the building, not necessarily the officers themselves. She then told Ariel that the town could only have one or the other, due to the small size of both the town and its budget.

"Um…shouldn't we have more than one police officer?" Ariel asked. "What if he or she needs backup, or gets sick or something?"

"We will have two; just one building."

"Oh. Okay."

"I should've clarified. I'm sorry. Here, let me show you something." Isabelle pulled out a tablet, tapped the screen a few times, then placed it on the desk.

"This will show you a preview of each PWP." She said. "Simply tap the name of the one you're considering, and it'll show you a photo of what it'll look like, along with some information about it. Not a whole lot, but (hopefully) enough to give you a better idea about them."

"Wow."

"Yeah, it's pretty neat. I'd have shown you this sooner, but we didn't get it until yesterday. Of course, it can't show you how it'll look in the town itself, but it should help you decide on this and future projects. You can use it for as long as you want. I'll be at my desk if you need me." Isabelle said.

"Okay. Thank you." Ariel replied. Looking at the tablet, she scrolled down the list until the words "Police Station" came up. Tapping on the link opened a sub-menu that read simply:

' _Classic Police Station' – Photos/Info  
'Modern Police Station' – Photos/Info_

Tapping on 'modern' first, she saw that it was a sleek, light gray building in a cylindrical shape. The first photo showed the outside and front entrance, the next one showed the inside, the third and fourth showed the external side views, and the last one showed the rear. All in all, it certainly seemed to live up to its name. Tapping on the 'info' link, Ariel saw that literally everything in it was the latest version; from the foundation to the furnishings, though she thought that was an exaggeration. After all, foundations were only 'the latest version' based on whatever was available at the time. It was almost overwhelming, but it certainly had its appeal. The only thing that wasn't modern was the telephone, as it was a simple black landline that looked like the one her parents had.

She then tapped on 'classic' and saw a brown wooden building. Like the modern station, the classic one had a single red light in the middle of the doorway, and a sample 'wanted' poster. She looked over the other images; each as simple as the last, but there was a certain charm to it. Although she wasn't being entirely fair to the classic station. Even though didn't look as up-to-date as the modern one did, that didn't mean it was left to languish. According to the info page, it had been updated over the past fifteen years; sanded, given a fresher coat of paint, and had its wiring and plumbing updated. There was a light gray locker that looked just like ones seen in some schools. It also had a telephone, computers and a paper filing system. Looking back to be certain, she saw that the modern station also had a paper filing setup. That was good. Technology may be wonderful, but there are some things paper can do that computers cannot, such as not having to worry about power outages, malware, or whether you remembered to save your progress.

Ariel spent the next several minutes going between the two; finding herself lingering on the 'classic' page longer.

"Classic it is, then." She mumbled.

"Hm? Did you say something, mayor?" Isabelle asked, still working on her papers.

"Sorry. Just thinking out loud. I've made a decision regarding the police station project."

"Oh?" Isabelle put the paper down and turned her chair around. "That's great. Which one did you choose?"

"The classic one."

"Good choice, mayor!" Isabelle beamed. "Although, if I may be frank, I was kind of expecting you to choose that one."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh. You just struck me as the kind to like the classic instead of the modern."

"Ah. I-it's not that I don't like the modern one. I just feel that the classic one will fit in better, and I do like it, but if you think I should get the modern one instead…"

Isabelle laughed a little. "Relax, mayor. It's okay. You're allowed to take your own likes and dislikes into consideration regarding the town. Just make sure you remember to take the other villagers' interests into consideration as well. You don't have to cater to all of them, as that would be impossible, but try to have things that a lot of people can enjoy."

"So basically, things that can be enjoyed by any personality type?"

"Pretty much. It won't be 100%, as there will always be something that someone doesn't like, but done right, it'll be close."

"All right."

"So, back to the project. Just to let you know, you won't be able to demolish the "Classic Police Station" once it's complete. Is that okay with you?"

"Yes."

"Would you like to start working on it now?"

"Please."

"Yay! Let's go find a place to build!"

The two stepped out into the sunshine. Once she had placed the "Back in 10 Minutes" sign on the door, and locked it, Isabelle turned to Ariel with a smile. "Okay, mayor. Show me where you'd like the classic police station to be."

Nodding, Ariel headed out, eventually stopping just south of the event plaza, and turning to Isabelle.

"Yes, mayor? Is this about where you'd like to put it?" she asked.

"Yes. What do you think of the spot?"

"Well, let me see." Isabelle looked around. She noted that they were too close to both the plaza and the river, and advised Ariel to choose a spot with more room. Ariel set off again, this time crossing the suspension bridge and stopping about fifty feet from the cliff. This time, Isabelle said "Yes, I think this spot is perfect!".

Ariel set up the rope fence. Isabelle placed Lloid in the middle, and informed him of the project so he could inform the other residents. Ariel started off the collection by donating some bells that she'd gotten from selling spare fossils to Reese. Isabelle chipped in too, and the two then left, returning to the town hall.

 ***ONE WEEK LATER***

A crowd had gathered around the newest building. Most of the residents; those who had contributed to the project's fundraising, Isabelle, Ariel, and two other dogs were there. One was a tall, white dog that resembled a German Shepherd or a Labrador, and the other was a shorter, brown dog that looked like a bulldog. Both were wearing identical blue uniforms.

"Good morning everyone!" Isabelle began. "We're here to celebrate the completion of Mistgate's vital "Classic Police Station" project. My name is Isabelle, and I'll be your host today!"

There was applause. "Thank you. Thank you. Before we continue, we have a short speech from our very own mayor! Take it away, mayor Ariel!"

Ariel struck a confident pose. "On to the next project!" She exclaimed.

"Well said, mayor. You have quite a way with words." Isabelle commented. "Now, everyone, please get out the item that was handed out to you."

Everyone except Isabelle and the two officers reached into their pockets and pulled out party poppers.

"To celebrate the completion of this public works project, and all of the hard work that went into it…Ready? Set! POP!"

Everyone pulled their poppers at the same time. Well, almost. Ariel pulled hers just a little sooner than the others did, but no one minded. The taller one snapped a salute and introduced himself as Copper and the shorter one as Booker. Both (through Copper, who was doing the talking for them) vowed to keep the peace in Mistgate, and said that they would be available 24/7, with Booker being there during the day, and Copper at night. There was applause once more as Isabelle thanked everyone for attending and closed the ceremony.

 **Author's Notes:**

 **As usual, feel free to point out any errors or leave constructive criticism.**

 **You actually only have one officer – either Booker or Copper, depending on which police station you build. If you build the modern one, you'll have Copper. If you build the classic one, you'll have Booker. You'll occasionally see the other one at the RV campground, but they won't stay in town. For this, I've made it so you have both. Booker will be there during the day, and Copper will be there at night.** **Think of it like Pelly and Phyllis at the Post Office - both work there, but you only see one or the other, depending on the time of day.**

 **Despite being the town's police, they're more of a "lost and found" and an info hub. Go to whichever one you have, and ask 'Anything Unusual?'. He'll tell you if any NPCs are around (Redd, Katrina, Saharah, etc.), or that he hasn't noticed anything (meaning nothing's going on). And yes, I've largely exaggerated the 'modern' look of the modern police station. It's just a gray cylindrical building with gray 'counters' for the lost-and-found items. The rest looks similar to the classic one.**

 **The cliff is not the one where the river meets the ocean, it's the one that looks more like a massive hill that leads to the waterfall basin.**


	4. Chapter 4 - The Bug-Off

**Disclaimer: I do not own "Animal Crossing: New Leaf – Welcome Amiibo" or anything in it. This is fanfiction only.**

 **Feel free to point out any errors and/or leave constructive criticism.**

 **This one is written in first person.**

' _Attention, residents! Today is the Bug-Off!'_

This was going to be an interesting day; my first full day off from my mayoral duties, all because of an event. Any messages or issues would be left for my secretary to handle. I thought that that was unfair, as Isabelle works even harder than I do, and deserves time off as well, but she simply shrugged it off, explaining that it was a custom in smaller towns like Mistgate.

"Besides. I can handle things for one day, mayor. I've done it before." She said.

"You have?"

"Yes. When Mr. Tortimer retired, I became the, what's the best way to put it? Temporary mayor, I guess. Anyway, I had that position for a month, then you arrived, and I was able to go back to being a secretary."

"Oh."

"Yep, so another day isn't going to hurt."

"Well…if you insist, but if you need me, let me know, and I'll come over immediately, okay?"

"Don't worry so much, mayor, I'll be fine. But if something does come up, I'll let you know."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now, get out there and get buggy!"

"Um..."

"Oh! I'm sorry. That was unprofessional of me. I meant to say 'enjoy the Bug-Off!'"

After reassuring Isabelle that I was only slightly confused about the 'get buggy' thing, I went over to the event plaza. There I saw a chameleon standing next to a green tent, wearing a naturalist's outfit, a small pair of glasses, and a bag. He smiled politely at me. Well, as much as a chameleon could smile.

"Oh ho. Hello there. Are you here to partake in this fine event?" he asked.

"Yes." I replied.

"Splendid! Splendid! May I ask you your name?"

"I'm Ariel."

"It's nice to meet you, Ariel. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Nat and I am an entomologist. In other words, I study bugs for a living. On certain days, such as today, I host an event known as the "Bug-Off". Shall I explain it to you?"

"Sure."

"Wonderful! You see, the Bug-Off is very straightforward. You have from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM to catch bugs. When you've caught some bugs, you can bring them to me for an evaluation. I will assess the bugs, and give a score based on a combination of factors; size, color, luster, and so on. Just so you know, once it reaches six o'clock, I will no longer accept entries for the contest, and instead will be tabulating the results. The one who catches the bug worth the most points wins, and will receive a rather corking trophy from me. Now, will you be participating in the event?"

"Yes."

"Splendid! Do you have a net with you? If not, I have a few for sale."

"I'm good. I have my own." I said, taking it out of my pocket to show him.

"That's grand. Do you have any other questions for me?"

"No."

"Very well then. Now, go out there and have fun catching all sorts of delectable – I mean, interesting, bugs. _So sorry, that was a slip of the tongue._ "

"Okay." I decided not to comment on him calling the bugs delectable (he is a chameleon, after all), and headed out to catch some bugs; net at the ready.

 ***TIME SKIP*  
**

 _*Swish*_

 _*Thud*_

 _*Bzzt*_

"Darn. That's the fourth one I've missed. Maybe I should stick to butterflies."

"Hi, Ariel." A voice called out. I looked around to see Clyde walking towards me with a net in his hand.

"Hi, Clyde." I replied.

"How's the bug hunt going, clip-clawp?"

"Um…. not too bad, really, but I just can't seem to catch anything other than butterflies."

"Gee, that's too bad."

"Yeah. How're you doing?" I asked, adjusting my hold on the net.

"Pretty good so far, clip-clawp. I've caught 7 bugs." He said, striking a smug pose.

"That's pretty good."

"Thanks. Do you want some help catching bugs?"

"…Is that allowed?"

"Kind of. I can't catch them for you; that would get us both disqualified, but I can give you some advice."

"Well… okay."

"One trick is to sneak up on them slowly. A lot of bugs, like cicadas, will fly away almost as soon as they hear you. It's a defense thing for them, or at least I think it is, so don't go rushing towards them like you would with butterflies or dragonflies."

"Oh, so that's why they kept getting away."

"Yep. Well, try my advice and see if it helps you, clip-clawp."

"I will. Thanks, Clyde."

"Anytime." He turned and left. I turned the other way, and went towards the river, hoping to catch at least one thing that wasn't a butterfly.

 ***Time Skip***

Nat was still standing next to the tent. He was examining Merengue's latest catches, so I stood back, not wanting to seem like I was eavesdropping. She must've caught something good, as Nat gave her an item, and she beamed as she put it into her pocket. When Merengue left to continue her hunt, I approached Nat.

"Oh ho. So, the young entomologist returns. Do you have anything you'd like me to evaluate?"

"Yes." I pulled out a monarch butterfly and handed it to him. He explained that after evaluating the bug, he wouldn't give it back, and asked if we had "a polite agreement", as he put it. I agreed, as I don't really have any desire to keep bugs in my house.

"Let's see…I say, this is a monarch butterfly! How exquisite. Let's examine the size… Yes, yes. It's quite standard for its species. Now, let's take a look at the color and luster… Oh my, I'm sorry old bean. I'm afraid, from an expert's perspective, it's rather lacking. Well, let's see… I'd say that this monarch butterfly is worth…20 points! Not too bad for your first time at the Bug-Off, but it's not enough to set a new record. Would you like to know who the current record belongs to?"

"Sure."

"It belongs to Merengue. She caught a bee worth 68 points. Don't get discouraged now, there's still two hours remaining. Anyone could win. Do you have any more you'd like me to examine?"

"Yes."

 ***Time Skip*  
**

" _Attention residents! It is now six o'clock! That concludes this month's Bug-Off!'_

I sighed, putting my net away. Though I still had a couple of butterflies and a cicada (I'd finally managed to catch one just as the event ended) for Nat, I knew that he wouldn't accept them and so I released them one by one before heading for the tent once more. Nat smiled at me and said. "The awards ceremony is about to begin. If you'd like to attend, please enter the tent."

I nodded. Even though I didn't win, I was interested in seeing who did. I stepped inside and saw that three of the villagers were standing on a podium; Rod was standing on the one labeled '3', Merengue was standing on the one labeled '2', and Clyde was standing on the one labeled '1'. Meanwhile, Blanche was standing on the left side of the tent in front of a table housing the winning catches, and Avery was standing on the right in front of a table covered with papers, a notebook, and a couple of rulers. After a bit of hesitation, I went to stand next to Avery, with an apologetic look toward Blanche, who didn't bat an eye. Before I could say anything, Nat came in.

"Hello everyone." He said. "Thank you all for attending this month's Bug-Off event! Now that the final results have been tabulated, it's time for the awards ceremony!"

Nat went to the podium and stood in front of Rod. "In third place… with a monarch butterfly worth a modest 55 points… Rod!"

Everyone applauded, while Rod looked bashful.

"Good job, Rod." Nat said. "Here is your prize: a bronze bug trophy!" He handed Rod a bronze colored trophy. It looked like an average trophy, but with a butterfly on top.

Nat went to Merengue next. "In second place, with a Bee worth a respectable 68 points… Merengue!"

We applauded again. Like Rod, Merengue had a bashful expression on her face.

"Yes, yes, well done, Merengue. It was a delectable specimen. Your prize is a silver bug trophy!" Nat said, pulling out a trophy identical to the one he had given Rod, but silver instead of bronze, and handing it to her.

"Last but not least." Nat now moved to stand in front of Clyde. "In first place… with a Raja B. butterfly worth an incredible 77 points… Clyde!"

There was more applause as Nat handed Clyde a golden version of the trophy, and, like the other two, Clyde looked bashful just before accepting it.

"Congratulations, Clyde! Your specimen was quite scrumptious – err, I mean, fascinating." Nat said. He quickly turned to face the rest of us and said, "That concludes the ceremony! Thank you all for your time, and I'll see you again at the next Bug-Off!"

I went over to Blanche and apologized for not standing next to her, but she brushed it off, saying that she wasn't upset nor mad. Taking her word for it, I thanked her, and went over to congratulate the winners. No one said I had to, but since I was the mayor, I thought it the polite thing to do. Rod was proudly showing off his trophy, saying how happy he was to have another one for his collection back home. Merengue was a bit shy about the whole thing. I guess she's not used to a lot of attention, but she was happy nonetheless, and thanked me when I congratulated her. Clyde was looking his trophy over, reading the inscription, and also showed it to anyone who wanted to see it. Eventually, everyone went their separate ways. I went to the town hall to see how Isabelle was doing.

' _That wasn't too bad, I guess. I'll practice more when I have the time, and who knows? Maybe I'll do better in the next Bug-Off.'_

 **Author's Notes:** **It's never specifically stated how long your town was without a mayor after Tortimer left and before you arrived. I chose a length at random.**

 **In the first Bug-Off that occurred since I made Mistgate (it was on the day I started the town, funnily enough), Clyde won with a Raja Brooke (Raja B.) Butterfly that (according to Nat) was worth 77 points. Merengue was second with a Bee worth 68 points, and Rod was third with a monarch butterfly worth 55 points. I didn't participate as I couldn't get a net. I'd already chosen fishing from Isabelle, and bought the rod from her, and Nookling Junction only had a fishing rod and a shovel for sale. I didn't get a net until my third day. This isn't set on that first day, but is based off of that event's results.**

 **As I've said in the first story, I will not have all of the quotes written word for word. Mostly because I don't want to write everything said exactly as it's said in the game, but also because I don't remember all of it, and I'm not going to restart my town just for the sake of a bunch of word-for-word sentences. Not to mention, it'd probably be copyright infringement if I did word-for-word.**


	5. Chapter 5 - The Happy Home Academy

**Standard Disclaimer: I don't own anything in "Animal Crossing: New Leaf – Welcome Amiibo".**

 **Feel free to point out any errors. I do go over what I've written, but it's always a possibility to miss something.**

 **This one's pretty straightforward, and more dialogue focused, if you will.**

Today I went over to Nook's Houses to see Tom Nook about my house, as I'd just finished paying the 39,800 bells last night. I also wanted to see if there were any bigger houses I could get. Not now, as I've only just recently gotten the one I have, but someday. It wouldn't hurt to look, and start saving now. I opened the door and stepped inside. Tom Nook greeted me. "Welcome, welcome! Oh, my goodness, it's Ariel. So good to see you."

"It's nice to see you too, Mr. Nook." I replied.

"Thank you. Yes. Now, to business. You've successfully paid off your home loan! How wonderful." He continued. "Let me see… Ariel, are you satisfied with your house?"

"Um...well…"

"Is there a problem with it?"

"No! Not exactly. It's a nice house, but it's a bit…cramped."

"Aha. Say no more, say no more. You could use a bigger place, yes?"

"Yeah, but that'll have to wait. I just got the house I have."

"Don't fret. You can get a bigger house now if you'd like."

"How?"

"Simple. We can simply expand your existing house. That way you don't have to go through the trouble of finding a new one."

"Oh. I didn't know that was an option."

"That's all right, you are new here after all. Anyway, if you'd like, you can speak with me about your house, and we'll arrange any changes you'd like to make."

"Okay."

"Great! Oh, by the way, there's someone here I'd like you to meet. He's right over here." Tom walked over to the right side of the room, to a desk with an otter standing there. He had slicked hair and wore a red jacket along with blue dress pants. A name tag on the jacket read 'Lyle'.

"Ariel, this is Lyle. He's from the Happy Home Academy. He'll help you improve your house's interior over time through inspections and reports."

"Hello, Mr. Lyle." I said.

"Hi. Hello." Lyle replied in brief, clipped tones. "Like the racoon said. I'm Lyle and from the Happy Home Academy. You want your house to be happy, right? Bang. We gotcha covered. Here at the HHA, we like happy homes. Happy homes, happy home owners. Bang. We come by, inspect your house. See how it stacks up; furnishings, wallpaper, floorings, the works. Don't worry, it's all clandestine. Secret. You won't even know we stopped by."

"So…you…grade homes?" I asked hesitantly.

"That's one way to put it. We used to be the Happy Room Academy. Only reviewed one room out of the house. Now? We've gone big. Bang. We do the whole house. And also give you advice on how to improve your home. No, we won't butt in and tell you how to do everything, but just advice. For example, have you ever heard of Feng Shui?"

"Yes."

"Good. If you utilize Feng Shui in the right way, it can improve your home's overall look, feel, and even your luck. Very easy to do. Not hard at all. For example, place red items in the east. Yellow items in the west, and so on."

"Oh, that's nice."

"Indeed. Well, Ms. Ariel, that's all I have for you for now. Feel free to stop by anytime. From tomorrow on. You can get your score, advice, ask questions, et cetera."

"Okay. Thanks, Mr. Lyle."

"Anytime." He said, turning his attention back to the tablet in his paw.

I went back over to Tom Nook, and asked him about expanding my home.

"Ah, yes. You'd like to expand your home. Well, well, that's easily managed, and it'll give you much more room, for furnishings as well as gratuitous swinging of elbows. When would you like the expansion to occur?"

"Is it possible to do it today?"

"I'm afraid not. Our crew is busy building a house for a new resident today, but they will be available tomorrow. Will that suffice?"

"Sure."

"Great! Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"No, that's all."

"All right then. I'll put the order in today so it'll be ready for the crew come the morrow. Thank you for coming in, Ariel, and see you soon."

"Okay. Thank you."

I headed home. On my way, I passed a wood-and-rope fence with a sign. It read _'This space reserved for Pashmina's new home'_.

' _That must be the new resident Tom Nook mentioned.'_ I thought to myself, wondering what sort of person (or animal, if I'm being literal) this Pashmina would be.

 **Author's Notes: Again, the only difference is when this occurs, kind of. You generally see Lyle once your house is built (for the first time), and after you have made the payment (39,800 bells – after the 10,000-down deposit. The day itself varies depending on when you finish paying, as if it's after 8:00 PM, then the earliest you can see Lyle would be the next day (or the next day you play, whichever).**

 **If you've ever played "Wild World", "City Folk", "New Leaf", or "Happy Home Designer", you'll likely know Lyle. He talks in brief, sometimes one-word sentences, which I've tried to do here. It's not completely accurate, but it should do.**

 **Did you know? In the Japanese version of the game, Tom Nook is actually a creature called a Tanuki (often spelled Tanooki outside of Japan). It's a Japanese raccoon dog, which is a subspecies of the Asian raccoon dog. Tom Nook (the name) is a play on the word. Timmy and Tommy, Tom Nook's "nephews", are also Tanuki in that version. Elsewhere, they are classed as raccoons.**


	6. Chapter 6 - Mr Resetti's Request

**Standard Disclaimer: I do not own "Animal Crossing: New Leaf – Welcome Amiibo" or any of the characters.**

 **Feel free to point out any errors or leave constructive criticism.**

 **This one's in third person.**

After a long day's work, Ariel was very tired. There had been a mix-up at the RV Campground, and so she'd spent the whole afternoon helping Harvey and the campers get everything straightened out. Before she could go home though, Ariel realized that her pockets were full after trying and failing to pick some red roses that were near Re-Tail. Since she was already there, Ariel went inside and sold all of the excess items to Reese. She then went back outside, grabbed the roses and headed home; stopping only to plant the roses next to the cobblestone bridge. She sighed with relief once she reached her front door. Going inside, she shut the door behind her, then went over to her bed and flopped down onto it, too tired to change into her pajamas. She let out another big sigh before everything went dark as she fell asleep.

 ***Time Skip***

Ariel woke to the sound of her alarm going off. Groggy, she reached out and patted around until she hit the clock and managed to silence it. Yawning widely and rubbing her face, she sat up. It took her longer than usual to wake up, because she had the strange feeling that she'd been asleep for a long time, even though it had only been one night. After waking up enough to go through her morning routine, Ariel stepped outside, shut and locked the door behind her and started walking. She didn't get more than two feet when a voice startled her.

"EXCUSE ME!" the voice shouted. Ariel looked around and saw a mole pop up out of the ground. It was a very stern-looking animal, with a glare on his face and a pickaxe in one hand.

"Allow me to introduce myself". He said. "Folks call me "Mr. Resetti", on a count of me being very respectable."

"Hi. I'm Ariel."

"Can I bend your ear for a moment?"

"Um…okay."

"Well, listen. Last time you were here, you quit without savin'. Care to explain yourself?"

Ariel opened her mouth to answer and paused. Did she really forget to save? She couldn't remember; the last thing she remembered was going to bed, and waking up that morning. If there was anything in between, it wasn't there anymore.

"I…don't remember." She admitted.

"Hmm…that happens, I'll admit." The mole said. "But try not to let that happen again. Every time you quit without saving, you lose your progress to that point. That's right, everything is lost, items, conversations, presents, etc. All gone. So, try to be more careful from here on."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"I know. It's why I'm goin' easier on ya than I normally would."

"Oh."

"Now, if I may explain about myself a little better; usually my brother and I are able to monitor the town's residents and provide resets as well as lectures where needed, but not anymore. You see, people are of the mentality that 'one little reset every now and again' is fine, and 'there's no _real_ need for constant monitoring', and so, in the last budget discussions, we at the Reset Surveillance Center were left out. Pretty much put out of business. So, while I will reset for you this time, it'll be the only time I can do so without the center, but if the center were to be built, then my brother and I would be back on the job!"

"I see." Ariel said. "Is there any way I can help?"

"I believe so. Since yer the mayor an' all, you should be able to request the Reset Center as a Public Works Project. I'll have a word with Isabelle in a bit an' see if she'll add it."

"Okay. I'll get to work on that soon."

"Thank you kindly. With that all said and done… RESETTI OUT!" With that, Mr. Resetti vanished back into the hole, closing it up behind him.

Ariel waited for half an hour so Mr. Resetti would have enough time to get to the Town Hall and talk to Isabelle, then headed over herself. Opening the door, she saw the top of Mr. Resetti's head drop into a hole; the hole then closed up behind him.

"How in the world did he do that?" Ariel asked, surprised.

Isabelle looked over as she walked in. "He's always been able to do that. His brother as well."

"But we're in a building! With a foundation! And he just popped right up like he does outside?"

"Uh-huh."

"And the hole closes right after him, leaving no trace of it ever being there?

"Yep."

"How?!"

Isabelle shrugged. "To be honest, mayor, I have no idea how they do it. Maybe it's a mole thing, or maybe it's something special about them."

"…."

"Don't worry about it, mayor! It's no big deal, really. Besides, they may not tell you even if you did ask."

"…I guess so."

"Uh-huh. Oh! Dear me! Where are my manners? Good morning, mayor Ariel!"

"Morning, Isabelle."

"As you can probably tell by now, I see you had a visit from Mr. Resetti."

Ariel reached up and scratched the back of her head. "Yeah. I…err… forgot to save last time."

Isabelle nodded. "I've been in that situation before. It's pretty awkward, especially when you've been in town as long as I have."

"Really? You've forgotten to save?"

"Everyone's forgotten at some point. It happens. Despite their lectures, the Resetti brothers both know that, and between you and me, they don't entirely mind having to reset for people, because it's their job. However, that doesn't mean that you should always quit without saving. I imagine it would get monotonous having to reset for the same person over and over again."

"Ah."

"Yep. Anyway, he was here to ask about putting the Reset Surveillance Center on the list of requested Public Works Projects."

"He did mention that."

"I'll tell you just what I told him then. It is possible to add the Center to the list, and I'd just added it when you arrived."

"Thank you, Isabelle. You're a big help."

Isabelle beamed at the compliment. "Anytime! Now, is there anything you'd like to do while you're here?"

Ariel walked over to her desk and sat down on the chair. "Yes. Two things, actually, since I have to re-do what I'd done yesterday."

Isabelle followed as usual. "Okay, what would you like to do?"

"I'll start with a Public Works Project. The Reset Surveillance Center."

 ***Time Skip***

After choosing the location and getting Lloid set up, Ariel and Isabelle returned to the Town Hall. Ariel sat down at the desk again, this time deciding to initiate a Town Ordinance, as she'd intended to do the last time. Isabelle showed her the list again and, as she had done previously, Ariel went over the pros and cons of each choice.

Night Owl would be okay; the stores would stay open later which would be beneficial, as a lot of the residents didn't go to sleep until late, but it wouldn't be very fair to Merengue and Clyde, both of whom generally went to bed by ten and weren't very comfortable staying up.

Early Bird would pretty much be the opposite, encouraging both stores and residents to be up and about earlier in the day. Merengue and Clyde wouldn't mind, nor would any other villager who already wakes up early, but there would be a lot of grumbling from the night owls. Those two were thus out.

Bell Boom/Wealthy Town was largely self-explanatory, it was okay for towns that needed it, but it really only increased the cost of some things, like certain projects. Sure, you'd also get more bells for selling stuff, but Ariel was certain that she could make the town work without it.

That left Beautiful Town. It was fairly simple; an ordinance that encouraged all residents to really take pride in Mistgate's overall looks. Not necessarily in a vain way, but to ensure that weeds were pulled, plants and trees were taken care of, trash was picked up (or fished from the ocean or the river) and thrown away or recycled, and that everyone's homes stayed large mess and cockroach free. All in all, it was a pleasant and not overbearing ordinance, and so, to Ariel anyway, it was the obvious choice.

"I'd like to enact the "Keep Mistgate Beautiful" ordinance, Isabelle." Ariel said.

"Sure thing! It'll cost you 20,000 bells, is that okay?"

Ariel grabbed her wallet and set it on the desk. "I think I have enough here, but since I lost my progress, I'm not so sure anymore." She took out the bells, each bunched into bags of 1,000, and eventually reached a total of 8,000. Apologizing to Isabelle, she quickly hurried over to the Post Office and the ABD to get the remaining amount.

After finishing with her work at the Town Hall, Ariel had lunch before heading over to the RV campground to see Harvey. Just as it was the day before, Harvey stood there looking rather worried, along with a white cat named Blanca and a reindeer named Jingle. Both were standing next to their respective RVs, and both were looking confused, well, it was assumed that Blanca was confused. It was hard to tell since she didn't have a face. Just like the previous day, there was a mix-up over who was going to be staying where in the campground. Sighing, Ariel rolled up her sleeves and strode forward, ready to help once again.

 ***Time Skip***

Finally done with everything, Ariel made her way home again. Like last time, she stopped in at Re-Tail and sold all of the excess items she no longer needed, and grabbed some red roses outside. Placing them near the cobblestone bridge, Ariel went straight for her house, sighing once again as she reached her bed. This time, before flopping down, Ariel tapped on the tablet next to her bed, and chose 'save'. Once the 'saving complete!' message came onto the screen, she allowed herself to lay down and relax, drifting off.

 **Author's Notes:** **Okay, so this one was a little harder for me to write, and it's definitely outside the realm of reality. For those who haven't played Animal Crossing, what happens is this (basically): If you're playing in your town, but quit without saving, not only is your progress to that point (other than your previous save) lost, but when you re-load the game, you get confronted by a character called "Mr. Resetti" who gives a lecture (not as much in New Leaf – he's been toned down) about the importance of saving before you quit. That's what this is based on. Also, in New Leaf, the Reset Surveillance Center isn't already in town like it is in other games. You only get Resetti the first time you quit without saving. He mentions that it would be the only time he resets for you, but if you build the center, he (and Don Resetti) would be able to resume monitoring the town.**

 **As stated in other stories – this will not be word-for-word quotes from Resetti. It'll be similar to what he says, but I am not going to restart my town for the sake of word-for-word sentences. That, and it might count as copyright infringement if I did so.**

 **The Town Ordinances will also be mentioned, so slight spoiler if you haven't played New Leaf. Also, the opinions on each of them are mine, and are not intended to be seen as "the only opinions" or "better opinions". If you prefer one of the ordinances other than the one I use, that's fine.**

 **A bit of clarification: Night Owl means that the villagers also stay up later than usual, which can cause those who normally go to bed early to complain about staying up. Early Bird is the other way around, and can cause your night owl residents (or just those who like to sleep in) to complain about being up earlier. Bell Boom is also referred to as "Wealthy Town", when you see the list of ordinances from Isabelle.**

 **Oh, and yes, I know that that is not how the saving function works in the game, but again, if it were real, you wouldn't** _ **have**_ **save points at all. This is just for fun, and a 'if some things in video-games were also in reality' thing.**


	7. Chapter 7 - Meet Tortimer

**Standard Disclaimer: I do not own anything in "Animal Crossing: New Leaf – Welcome Amiibo". The only things I 'have' are the name of my mayor, the town's name, and any Pro designs I made.**

 **Feel free to point out any errors.**

I walked into the town hall as usual, but today I saw someone I didn't know standing in front of the desk and chatting with Isabelle. Not wanting to interrupt, I simply stood off to the side and waited. Isabelle looked over after a couple of minutes.

"Oh, mayor! Good morning!" she greeted with her usual smile.

"Morning." I replied.

"Mayor, If I may, I'd like to introduce you to someone." Isabelle said.

"Okay."

"This is Mr. Tortimer. Mr. Tortimer, this is Ariel, our new mayor."

Tortimer turned. He was an elderly turtle; more yellow than green, and he had a blue-and-green shell with a white sort of beard on the bottom of his head. He was wearing a red shirt with some white flowers on it, black shorts, glasses, and a tan hat that had a green band around it. Once he got a proper look at me, an intrigued expression came to his face.

"Oh ho! So, this is the new mayor I've been hearin' about!"

"That's me." I said, nodding.

" _*heh, heh, horf*"_ He laughed. "It's nice to meet you, sprout. I'm Tortimer."

"It's nice to meet you too, Mr. Tortimer." I replied politely.

"I used to be the mayor of Mistgate, you know." Tortimer continued. "Had the position for many years before retiring. I wanted to see how the old place is doing, so I came by for a visit."

Isabelle chimed in. "I was just telling Mr. Tortimer before you arrived that Mistgate is doing just fine, our new mayor is settling in nicely, and the residents are all happy as usual."

"Yes, so I see. I'm glad that the town is doing fine in my absence." Tortimer said. "I'll be able to enjoy my retirement a lot more now. Which brings me to my next point. As I've already mentioned, I have retired. I now live on a tropical island across the sea. It's a very lovely place; the sun is always shining and it never snows. Not one single flake. _*Heh, heh, horf*_ Are you jealous, sprout?"

"Um... Not really, Mr. Tortimer. I like winter."

Tortimer smiled and nodded. "Not to worry, sprout. To each their own and all that. Anyway, would you like to visit the island yourself some day?"

"Sure, I guess, but I have my work to do…"

"You can always go on one of your days off, mayor." Isabelle commented. Tortimer nodded again.

"She's right, sprout. You can come on over anytime you're free."

"Oh. Well, okay. Thank you."

"Not a problem. Well, I'll be walking around town for a while; get caught up with the residents and whatnot. I'll see you later, Isabelle."

"See you around, Mr. Tortimer!" Isabelle replied.

"And sprout, meet me at the dock in an hour. I'll finalize the details there."

"Alright."

With that, Tortimer left. I turned to Isabelle who commented on how lucky I was to be invited to a tropical island. She then said that she had also received an invitation from Tortimer, but seemed unable to find the time to go. That made me decide right then and there to give her a vacation. Once Isabelle was re-occupied with her work, I sat at my desk and pulled up the schedule on the computer.

 ***One hour later***

I hurried over to the dock to meet Tortimer as agreed. He turned to face me as he heard my footsteps on the dock.

"Thank you for coming, sprout." He said, then paused. "Hmm…now, what was it I wanted to say? ...Oh, yes, the island. I remember now. Like I was saying, the tropical island is a lovely place not too far from here. There's lots to do there, you can go on tours, fish, swim, or even just relax. It's a wonderful place. You can get there by boat. I'll tell the person running the service to start making regular stops here in Mistgate from tomorrow on."

"Okay. Thank you again, Mr. Tortimer."

"Anytime, sprout. Any questions?"

I shook my head. He nodded, bid me farewell, and turned back to watch the horizon. I turned, went back up the path and headed for the café to grab some coffee. While there, I decided to call Merengue.

"Hello?"

"Hi Merengue. It's Ariel."

"Oh! Hello, mayor! What's up?"

"I need your help with something."

 **Author's Notes:** **Much like the Welcoming Ceremony, this one is pretty straightforward. Tortimer isn't fully accurate here. I tried to get close to his manner of speech without copying it completely but missed the mark a little. Oh well.**

 **This story will lead into the next one.**


	8. Chapter 8 - Isabelle's Vacation

**Standard Disclaimer: I do not own anything in "Animal Crossing: New Leaf – Welcome Amiibo", this is fanfiction for entertainment only.**

 **Feel free to point out any errors. I do go over what I've written, but it's always possible I've overlooked something.**

 **I hope you've all had a safe and happy Holiday season, whatever you celebrate! I also would like to wish you all a Happy New Year! I'd originally wanted this one to be done before the end of the year, but it didn't work out. "The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry." As the saying goes.**

 **Kapp'n and his family are introduced in this story. I used one of the songs he actually sings in the game, with quotation marks. I believe that's how that one goes, but please feel free to correct me if I got it wrong. Oh, and w** **hen it comes to Leila (Kapp'n and Leilani's daughter), she speaks in what I guess you could call "toddler" or "young kid" speak, as in with "w's" here and there, and some broken sentences. To get a better idea of how she talks, I've taken some trips to the island again.**

 **Isabelle is really such a hard worker, and definitely deserves some time off, instead of being cooped up in the town hall most of the time. The fact that she's just an NPC so of course she can be around 24/7 aside, you could say that she's an example of a workaholic, and can be kind of hard on herself, such as when she initially says that the two of you (you and her in other words) could go to the beach together to get a seashell, or when she mentions not being able to find the time to go to the island, and she chastises herself before you have a chance to say anything (I know you can't I'm just saying.). So, I've decided to be cliché, and give Isabelle some time off.**

Normally, Isabelle was a chatterbox, able to converse about almost any topic at length, and to keep conversation going with practically everybody. It was a rarity to find her having trouble articulating her thoughts, but today was an exception. She found herself rendered speechless by the mayor and one of the other residents; a rhino named Merengue.

"Mayor! Merengue! Did I hear the two of you right? You want _me_ to take a vacation?!" she said.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"You're such a hard worker. You deserve some time off every now and then."

"But...you…the town…"

"I'll be _fine,_ Isabelle. I promise. I can handle running the town alone for a fortnight." Ariel said reassuringly.

"My work…"

"Will be here when you get back. I'll do all of mine and sort yours out for you in order of priority, just like you do for me."

"But I don't need…I mean -"

"Isabelle." Merengue interrupted. "May I say something?"

Isabelle looked at Merengue and nodded.

"You are not a machine, Isabelle. You can't keep going at this pace forever; you'll burn yourself out. In fact, you're starting to look worn out. Everyone has noticed it, or least I think they have. Anyway, I know that this job is very important to you. You care a lot about Mistgate and its people. You want everyone to be satisfied and happy with where they live. That's why you should take time off periodically like Ariel does."

"Merengue…"

"It's true." Merengue replied in a serious tone.

Isabelle was quiet for a few moments, thinking. Finally, she nodded. "O-okay. I'll take a vacation."

The other two females smiled at her. "Great. Go ahead and look at the schedule. You can choose any fortnight for this month." Ariel said. Isabelle nodded again and walked over to her desk. Once she chose a timeframe, Ariel marked it down in the schedule to make it official _._ Merengue apologized for being a bit abrupt with her, but Isabelle waved it off, saying that she needed someone to metaphorically kick her in the rear. The two shared a laugh before Merengue excused herself and left. Isabelle and Ariel soon returned to work.

 ***Time skip***

The first day of Isabelle's vacation had finally arrived. Isabelle stood outside the Town Hall, dressed in casual clothes, a small suitcase was next to her. Once she had been reassured yet again that everything would be fine, she grabbed her bag and headed for the dock.

At the far end of the dock was a boat with a single kappa sitting next to the engine. He looked over at Isabelle as she arrived.

"Hello." Isabelle greeted.

"Ahoy there, lass. Might ye be this Isabelle I've been hearin' about?" the kappa replied.

"Yes."

"Nice to meet ye. I be known as Kapp'n. I ferry folks across the briny deep and back. In me boat. If ye want to go to the island, it'll cost ye 1000 bells. Both ways."

"All right. Here you go." Isabelle reached into her pockets and pulled out a single bag of bells and handed it to Kapp'n.

"Aye, thank ye." Kapp'n placed the bells into a metal box. "Come aboard then lass. Yer suitcase first."

Isabelle carefully handed the suitcase over, and once Kapp'n had placed it securely under one of the seats, he held out a hand and helped Isabelle step into the boat. When she was settled on the other seat, Kapp'n started the engine and headed out to sea.

He decided to sing to pass the time. "Once had me a ship made o' cucumber. But then me cre-ew number could only be one. 'Cause when ya chew on yer ship, swabbies say you're kinda strange. They think you'll all sink, when yer hunger makes your ship come undone!"

"Ah, it's a lovely day today. Good wind, good temperature. Kind of makes me wish I had a sail." He commented.

A few songs later, Kapp'n announced: "Yar, we be landing soon. Brace yerself lass, docking can be a little rough sometimes."

Isabelle held onto her seat as best she could, but fortunately there wasn't much. The boat slowed, then turned to come level with the dock, and with a bump, came to a stop. Kapp'n killed the engine before helping Isabelle out of the boat and handing her suitcase to her. He directed her inside to the information booth where his wife Leilani would get her set up in a cabin. She thanked him and headed inside, somewhat wobbly from the boat ride. Once inside, Isabelle followed a sign and soon found herself standing in front of a counter. The female kappa standing there gave her a friendly smile.

"Ahoy there, lass. Ye be Isabelle, right? Heard about you from Mr. Tortimer, I did. Mind you, that was some time ago. Nice to meet ye." She paused for a moment, then had a surprised look on her face.

"Oh! Where are me manners! I forgot to introduce meself. I'm Leilani. My husband Kapp'n is the one who brought you here."

"Nice to meet you Leilani." Isabelle replied.

"Let me see. I'll just have to register you in our guest book. First of all, how long will ye be stayin' here?"

"Two weeks."

"Wonderful! A little vacation, eh?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, that's just grand. 'Course, we're happy with tourists no matter how long they stay. Now, have ye any preferences as to the kind of cabin you get?"

Isabelle shook her head. "No, thank you. I'm fine with whatever, really."

"All right then. I'll put you into cabin 7. It's not too far from here, just a little way down the path. Would ye like me to show you?"

"Yes, please."

"Okay then." Leilani closed the book, grabbed a set of keys and came out from behind the counter. Before she left, she turned to an elderly female kappa and addressed her.

"Mother, I'll be right back. I'm just showing the lass here her cabin. Mind Leila and the counter for me, please?"

The elderly Kappa nodded, stood from her seat and walked to the counter.

Leilani then turned to Isabelle again and motioned for her to follow her. "Right this way."

 ***Time Skip***

Some time later, Isabelle had decided to try out one of the tours the island offered, and headed over to the main cabin. When she arrived, she noticed a smaller female kappa, standing in front of a rug that had a few seashells on it. The small kappa looked up as Isabelle came in, smiled, and waved at her. Waving back, Isabelle walked over to her.

"Hello there." She said kindly.

"Hi!" the girl replied. "I'm Leila."

"Nice to meet you, Leila. I'm Isabelle."

"That's a pwetty name, miss."

"Thank you."

"Would you like to be fwends?" Leila asked.

"Sure."

"Yay! I have a new fwend!" Leila beamed.

Isabelle gave a little chuckle at the cuteness before Leila continued.

"Let's pway!"

"Okay. What would you like to play?" Isabelle asked. _'I guess I can go on a tour later.'_ She said to herself.

"Hmm…I know! Let's pway shop! You can be the shop, an' I'll buy fings fwom you!"

"You…buy things…from me?" Isabelle asked, surprised.

"Kinda." Leila said.

"Oh. Well, alright, but I don't have anything to 'sell' right now."

"That's otay, you can bwing someffing later." Leila replied.

"Okay. I'll see you later, Leila."

"Otay! Bye-bye!"

Isabelle turned and walked over to the information counter. Leilani gave her a knowing look.

"Ahoy, lass. I see ye met me wee one."

"Yes, I did."

"She asked ye to be a 'shopkeeper' too, right?"

"Yes."

"Don't ye worry, lass. Leila doesn't accept anything other than flowers, bugs, shells, an' fish. Stuff ye can get anywhere here on the island. It saves you having to go around and plant them if ye can't take 'em with you."

"Can't take them with you? What do you mean by that?"

"Well, as my husband might've already mentioned to ye, items in yer pockets cannot come to the island, save yer bells. Likewise, you cannot take items back to your town in your pockets. However, if you say, buy a souvenir, gather some flowers or fish, you'd want to take them back with you, right? Well, we offer a delivery service. See that box there?" Leilani said, pointing to a large wicker box next to the desk.

Isabelle nodded.

"Simply put the items you want to take with ye in that box, and we'll send 'em off to yer town when you leave. On the end of the dock in your town, there is another box that looks just like this one. That's where your items will be and where you can pick 'em up. But remember, jus' like yer mailbox and pockets, there's only so much room in the box. When the box is full, you have three options: exchange one of the items in the box for one you have, replace the item(s), or sell them to Leila fer a few bells. Or me, if you'd rather. Mind ye, ye won't get many bells for yer items, so please try to take valuable items with you, or have them delivered."

"Okay, I understand."

"That's great! If ye ever need help with items or delivery, come see me."

"I will. Thank you."

"No problem, lass. Is there anythin' else I can help ye with?"

"Yes. I'd like to go on a tour, please."

"Wonderful! Which one would you like to go on?"

Isabelle looked at the list. There were three tours on offer: Easy Balloon Hunt, Dragonfly Discovery Tour (Beginners Welcome!), and Easy Gardening. They also had descriptions for each, although their names alone were pretty self-explanatory. Balloon Hunt was all about popping as many balloons (using a slingshot) as you could during the time limit. Dragonfly Discovery was an insect-oriented tour, but only Dragonflies were counted towards the goal. Easy Gardening was a way to test yourself to see how fast you could fill up a flower bed.

"Hmm…I think I'll go on the Easy Gardening tour." Isabelle said.

"Yar! Good choice, lass. That one's very popular among first-time visitors. A lot of the regular visitors enjoy it too."

"Thank you. How much is it to go?"

"It's included in yer stay. We only charge visitors who are not staying the night (or longer), but even then, it's only 20 bells."

"Oh, that's nice."

"Aye. Once you're ready to depart, just have a seat in the waiting area there. An announcement will be made for your tour when it's time to board."

"Okay. Thank you, Leilani."

"Anytime."

Isabelle walked over to the chairs that were near the information desk and sat in one of them. Some minutes later, an announcement came.

"Attention, please! The boat for the Easy Gardening Tour is ready for boarding. Please go to Dock 3."

 ***Time Skip***

Looking around, Isabelle noticed that the only two people standing there were herself and Tortimer. She asked him if he was there to go on the tour as well, but he shook his head and explained that he was the one running the tour.

"But that means I'm the only one here." Isabelle said.

"Indeed." Tortimer replied.

"Does that mean the tour is cancelled?"

"No, we run all basic tours even with one participant. If this required more than one person, the boat wouldn't have left unless someone else came along."

"Oh."

" _*Heh, heh, horf*"_ Tortimer laughed. "It's okay, Isabelle. Now, are you ready to hear about this tour?"

"Sure."

"Okay. First of all, welcome to the Easy Gardening Tour. I'm your host, Tortimer. As the name suggests, this tour is all about gardening. See that flower bed right there?" Tortimer asked, pointing.

Isabelle nodded.

"Your job is to fill this flower bed with flowers. The type and color don't matter. You have 5 minutes to plant as many as you can. If you manage to fill the bed entirely within the time limit, you'll get some medals. However, you can't pull a flower back up once it's been planted, so if you want them to be planted in a certain spot, you'd best be careful. Any questions?"

"Just one. How do I know when the five minutes are up?" Isabelle asked.

"Simple. The tour islands have PA systems set up in some of the trees. They're faux trees that are designed to look like real ones so the systems aren't as obvious. You'll hear 3 whistles like this..."

Tortimer held up a whistle and blew three notes; two short and one long.

"…along with this message..."

A voice announced over the PA: _"Time's up! Please return to the flower bed if you aren't there already.'_

"…and that's it. Once the time is up, I'll evaluate how you did and award you accordingly. Do you have any other questions?"

"No." Isabelle replied.

"Alright then. Let's get started. Ready…set…go!"

Isabelle took off running.

 ***Time skip***

 _*pheep*  
*pheep*  
*pheeeeeep*  
_  
 _"The flower bed is full! Please return to Mr. Tortimer!"_

Isabelle had just finished planting the last flower when the whistle sounded. Huffing, she paused to wipe her forehead and catch her breath before turning to Tortimer. He smiled at her.

"That's the end of your first tour. Let's take a look at how you did, okay?"

"Okay."

Tortimer consulted with Lloid, who was sitting (as much as a gyroid could sit) next to him. "You filled the flower bed with two minutes and thirty seconds to spare! Whoa there, speedy mcgreenthumb!"

Isabelle smiled. "Thank you."

"For your amazing performance, you've earned a Gold Tortimer award and 7 medals!" Tortimer handed the items to Isabelle, who thanked him again, and accepted them.

"That concludes the Easy Gardening Tour! Thank you for participating, and tell your friends!" Tortimer said, before bidding Isabelle farewell.

Isabelle placed the rewards in her pocket and headed for the dock to go back to the main island. When she got there, she sold the extra flowers she still had to Leila, who handed her 15 bells. She also encountered Grams, who exclaimed that she had almost scared her out of her shell.

"And that wouldn't be a pretty sight!" She had said, laughing. She then explained that she ran a souvenir shop on the island, but wouldn't accept bells; only medals. Grams also mentioned the Tortimer Club, which was a special club for regular visitors to the island. It was basically a rewards program, with special members only events, and the like.

Isabelle returned to the cabin while the sun was setting.

" _Hmm…this isn't so bad, really."_ She said to herself. _"Maybe the occasional vacation isn't such a bad idea after all."_

 **Author's Notes:**

 **This story is written in third person, as point of view changes can be annoying, and if I'm not wrong, are an improper form of writing. Well, in the one story anyway. I'll probably end up rewriting this at some point.**

 **As for the island tours, I just chose one at random. When you go there for the first time, there's only three (which vary with each new town or player file) and they're all the beginner/easy difficulty until later on.**


	9. Chapter 9 - The Czar of Halloween

**Standard Disclaimer: I do not own "Animal Crossing: New Leaf" or anything in it, except for Pro Designs I've drawn, and the name of my mayor. This fanfiction is for entertainment purposes only.**

 **Also, the spelling of "Czar" for this is how it's spelt in game.**

 **Additional author's notes are below (after the story)**

* * *

It was a cool, crisp autumn evening. A gentle breeze wove its way through town, causing the leaves and grass to sway. Ariel made her way along, stopping to chat with Wendy for a little while, and eventually continuing on her way. Suddenly a voice called out to her.

 _*Hee hee hee!* "Can you find me?"_ It said.

Confused, Ariel looked around, but couldn't see anyone. After a few moments, Ariel resumed walking.

Some feet later, the voice called out to her again.

" _You're getting warmer…"_

She stopped and looked around again, but still didn't see anyone. Ariel briefly wondered if it was a prank of some sort, even though it had been a while since April Fool's, and this voice didn't sound like Blanca. Then she remembered a similar situation that occurred not long after she had moved in; a voice that called out to her while she was walking, and asking her for assistance. That had led to her finding a lamp with a ghost genie inside named Wisp, who in return for bringing him to her house, had agreed to grant her one wish a day.

With that in mind, she decided to see if she could find whoever was calling to her, and headed off once more.

Eventually, near one of the bridges, there was a sudden noise, and a small figure appeared. It was wearing a gray robe, and had an orange pumpkin over its head.

 _*Hee hee hee!*_ "Well done, pumpkin, you've found me!"

"Yes, I have." Ariel commented dryly.

"I do so love Halloween, or 10/31, pumpkin. Oh, allow me to introduce myself. I am Jack, the Czar of Halloween!" He said, twirling around.

"Halloween? But, it's only the third…" Ariel said.

"I know, but it's time to begin preparations. Would you like to help me?"

"Sure, I guess, but what would I have to do?"

"Oh, don't worry, pumpkin. It's easy. All you have to do is gather scary masks and figure out what the other villagers are scared of. Then, on Halloween night, starting at 6pm, I'll be here in town again. Your job will then be to go around town and scare everybody. Doesn't that sound like fun, pumpkin?"

Ariel nodded.

"Good. There's nothing wrong with a good old-fashioned scare, I always say." Jack said, then added: "Oh, before I forget; if you successfully scare your neighbors, they'll give you a piece of candy in exchange for "the monster" _(you)_ going away. Oh, but just to let you know, you should keep some candy on hand. Some of the villagers will be outside as well, and they'll likely ask you "trick or treat?!". So, unless you want to be tricked, you'd best hand over some candy. You can also buy candy at the Nooklings' shop on Main Street. What do you do with those candies? Why, you bring them to me, pumpkin! I'll trade you an item in exchange. Fair?"

"Fair." Ariel agreed.

"And if you scare all of your neighbors correctly, I'll give you a grand prize!" Jack exclaimed, holding his arms up in the air. "Now, do you have any other questions, pumpkin?"

"No."

"All right then. I'll see you on Halloween, pumpkin." Jack said.

"Okay. Bye."

There was another *Puff* as Jack back-flipped and disappeared from sight. Ariel thought over what she had been told, before heading to Main Street, and to the Able Sisters' shop, as they would be the most likely to carry costumes.

 ***Time Skip***

" _Attention Residents! Today we're celebrating Halloween!"_

Ariel stood just in front of her door. She was about ready to head out and find Jack, but was taking the opportunity to have yet another look at the list she had made, wanting to be absolutely certain that she would scare the others correctly. Once she was satisfied, she adjusted her costume and headed outside. She walked along until she spotted Jack walking around near the Town Tree, and called out to him.

"Jack!"

He stopped and turned to face her. "Oh, it's you, pumpkin." He said. "How are you? All ready for tonight?"

Ariel nodded. "Yep. I've got all of the masks, and this outfit," she indicated the patched dress she was wearing, "so I'm all set."

"Wonderful!" Jack said. "Well, then, as you know, your job is to gather as much candy as you can, and bring it to me. I'll give you something neat in exchange each time. See if you can scare everybody, okay?"

"Okay!"

"Any questions, or things you wanted to ask me last time, but didn't?"

"Just one. How long do I have before you leave?"

"You have until Midnight."

"Oh, nice. That's a lot of time."

"Indeed. Plenty of time for plenty of scares." _*Hee hee hee!*_

"Yeah..."

"Well, then, I'll let you get to it, pumpkin. When you're ready to find me, just walk around. You'll see me eventually."

"Okay."

"Have fun." With that, Jack disappeared into a cloud of smoke. Ariel looked around, but seeing no one, decided to head south.

A few minutes later, she arrived at W. Link's house. The light was on, indicating that he was home. Remembering that he is afraid of skeletons, Ariel quickly pulled said mask out of her pockets and put it on before knocking.

"Come in!" Came the reply.

Ariel opened the door and walked in. She went over to W. Link who was standing in the middle of the room, and said "Boo! Trick or Treat!" she said, her voice somewhat muffled by the mask

W. Link's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "Eeeeek! A s-s-skeleton!" he cried. Before Ariel could say anything, W. Link continued: "P-please go a-away, Mr. S-skeleton! I-I'll give you some candy if you do!"

"Deal." Ariel replied.

W. Link quickly reached into his pocket, pulled out a large, wrapped candy, and handed it over; trembling. Feeling bad, Ariel decided to take off the mask, and show him that it was just her.

"Oh, Ariel, hello there." W. Link said casually.

"…Hi?" She replied, curious.

"Are you enjoying your Halloween so far?"

"Yes."

"Good, good. Don't forget to get lots of candy, ruff ruff. That's the best part. Scaring is kinda fun too. _Well, not_ being _scared._ "

Confused, Ariel agreed with him, then excused herself and left. Wondering what that whole non-recognizing thing was about, she sought out Jack and asked him. He merely shrugged and said that it was simply part of the magic of Halloween. Not entirely sure if he was telling the truth, Ariel continued on her way.

Suddenly someone dressed in a pale gray robe and a purple pumpkin head came rushing towards her. "Caught you, shortcake!" they said once they'd arrived.

"Merengue?" Ariel asked.

"Yep, it's me." Merengue replied. "Trick or treat?"

Ariel pulled out the candy she had received from W. Link and offered it to Merengue. "Will this do for a treat?"

Merengue accepted the candy. "Yes. That'll do nicely. Thank you, shortcake. Now, I'll give you something in return. I heard that _Sylvia_ is afraid of mummies. I'm not too sure what you can do about that, but I hope it helps."

"Thank you, Merengue."

"You're welcome." With that, Merengue walked on, looking for someone else.

Even though it was some distance from where she currently was, Ariel decided to head for Sylvia's house next. When she reached the house, she stopped to put on the correct mask, just as she had done at W. Link's house before knocking.

"Come in!" Sylvia called out.

Ariel opened the door and walked in. Looking around, she noticed Sylvia standing near a table, and went straight to her.

"Boo!"

Sylvia jumped. When she looked at Ariel, she froze, and her eyes widened.

"...A mummy?" She managed to say after a few moments. "No no no no no no no no no. Please go away mummy! Here. Take some candy!"

Sylvia grabbed a candy and pushed it into Ariel's hands. She accepted it, and promptly left, though not before taking the mask off, and noticing that Sylvia didn't seem to realize that it had been her in the mask all along.

' _I guess Jack was telling the truth after all.'_ she thought to herself. _'That doesn't make it any less weird though…'_

Before going on to the next house, she pulled the list and a pencil from her pocket, and wrote 'scared successfully' next to W. Link's and Sylvia's names, then 'trick-or-treated outside with' next to Merengue's. Placing the list and pencil back into her pocket, Ariel went to the next house with a light on; Hamlet's.

Just as she had done twice before, Ariel switched masks before knocking. This time, she had put on the Frankenstein mask. Going inside once receiving the okay, Ariel went over to Hamlet, who freaked out.

"WHOA! TOO CLOSE, MONSTER BRO!" He yelled. Ariel tried not to laugh at the fact that Hamlet would call anyone some variation of 'bro' even when terrified. She briefly wondered if all jock villagers were like that, or if Hamlet was just an extreme. She was pulled from her thoughts when Hamlet, still freaking out, shoved some candy into her hands, and begged her to leave.

Ariel went over to Jack and exchanged her candy with him before heading on to the next house. Suddenly another villager spotted her and rushed over. This one was dressed just like Jack, but was much shorter and had a blue pumpkin head on instead of orange.

"Found you, cheekers!" the villager said.

"Hi, Apple." Ariel replied.

"Trick or Treat!" Apple said.

Ariel reached into her pockets, but was unable to find any candy. After going through them a couple more times to be certain, she had to admit that she had nothing to give.

"I'm sorry, Apple. I don't have any candy left."

"Oh, dear. I guess that means I get to trick you!"

"Okay."

"Ready? Here…I…go!" Apple twirled around in a flourish, and there was a puff of air.

"Gotcha!" Apple said, giggling. "Well, I'll be on my way now. See you later, cheekers! I hope you get more candy soon!"

"I'll try. Bye, Apple."

Once Apple had gone, Ariel looked over herself. She was still in the patched dress; her socks and shoes were the same as well. She reached up and pulled off the mask; it was still the green Frankenstein one. It almost looked as though Apple hadn't actually done anything, but Ariel continued to check her things. Finally, in her pockets, she found it. Her Prim Outfit, the dress she had been wearing just that morning (before changing), was now a Patched Dress.

' _Huh. That's not too bad, really. Kinda cool too.'_

 ***Time Skip***

The town's flower clock had just struck eight when Ariel went to Jack for the last time. She was very happy with herself. She had successfully managed to scare all of the other villagers correctly, and had trick-or-treated with them all too. Jack was pleased with her work as well, and congratulated her. After giving her the prize of a candy bowl, he declared:

"This year's Halloween was a smashing success, thanks to you, pumpkin."

"Thank you." Ariel replied.

"Anytime. Well, I'm off. I've got more places to go, and more people to scare." * _Hee hee hee!*_ "I'll see you next year, pumpkin." Jack said. He then backflipped and disappeared into thin air, just as he had done before.

Ariel hummed as she started heading home, when she heard Jack's voice one last time.

" _Happy Halloween!"_

* * *

 **So, I was going to do Katrina, Redd, and Saharah first, but since I'd already been planning to do the seasonal events, I figured I'd get them done instead. Especially since all of the year-end holidays have been and gone. Once again, this will not have exact quotes from Jack or the villagers throughout, but enough to get the overall gist of it.**

 **The first lines that Sylvia and Hamlet say (prior to the "I'll give you candy" parts) are the exact reactions I got from them when I scared them. As for Wolf Link, I don't remember exactly what he said, other than the "eeek!" (though it might've been "eeep!" instead), so I just threw something together.**

 **I was originally going to put a scene with every villager, but that would've just become repetitive, as the same thing happens each time. You go in, talk to villager, villager freaks out and offers candy, you accept the candy and leave. I think 3 mentions is enough for people to get the idea of it, along with just two for trick-or-treating: one for giving a treat and the other for being tricked.**

 **SPOILERS (For new/returning after a while players)**

 **The Halloween event goes like this: Sometime in early October, Jack will appear in your town. Not directly, yet. You have to find him. He calls out to you, and guides you (somewhat) while you look. That part is similar to when you find Wisp in his lamp. Once you find Jack, he'll appear, comment on Halloween, and ask you if you'll be his helper. When you agree, he'll explain what he wants you to do. Between that day and Halloween, you go to the Able Sisters' Shop, and in Labelle's accessory shop, you'll find a mask or two. There are six masks in total: Frankenstein, Mummy, Zombie, Wolf (werewolf), Skull, and Ghost. You should buy one of each, as what your villagers are scared of will vary. You can also buy the patched outfits, or other ones, but they aren't required.  
You will also receive a letter from Jack, informing you that Halloween is approaching.**

 **Your villagers will also drop hints about what frightens them. Make a note so you can remember who is afraid of what. If you get the hints for all of your villagers, you may not need all six masks, as sometimes two villagers will be afraid of the same thing (monster) and you may not have 10 at the time (not including other human characters). In any case, once Halloween night arrives (6:00 PM), Jack will appear in your town. Find and talk to him. He'll send you on your way to go about scaring the villagers. However, you can only properly scare someone in their house.  
If you see them outside, they will be more likely to either "recognize" you, or not react the way you need. Anyway, once you reach a villager's house, put on the appropriate mask either before you go in (preferable) or before you speak to them. If you've put the right one on, said villager will freak out and offer you candy in exchange for leaving. They will not recognize you, regardless of whatever else you're wearing. If you take the mask off and talk to them, they make no mention of the "monster" they just saw, and instead wish you a Happy Halloween and give some other comment. If you give a villager (who is outside) a candy, they will sometimes give you a hint about what another villager is scared of, which helps, but you want to have the list ready beforehand anyway, as a bit of a failsafe.**

 **You can't scare (or trick-or-treat with) any NPC who is not a villager.**

 **For more information on this event (and others), check out the Animal Crossing wiki page, or any other website of your choosing. Please be aware that there will be spoilers if you're new/haven't played in a while.**


End file.
